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Paris 2024 to stage mass participation marathon for general public on same day and course as Olympic athletes

Members of the general public will be able to run the marathon course on the same day as the elite athletes for the first time at the Olympics after Paris 2024 confirmed it would stage mass participation events at the Games in the French capital.

Paris 2024 officials said runners could race the course "organised in the same conditions as those encountered by the Olympic athletes" at the Games.

Organisers added that several formats would be held during the mass participation marathon, including for those with a disability.

Exact details are due to be revealed in the lead-up to the Games.

Paris 2024 also claimed other mass events could be staged as part of the Olympic Games in five years' time, with cycling among those touted as a possibility by Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet.

"With Paris 2024, spectators of the Games finally become actors of the Games," Estanguet said.

For the very first time ever, Olympic sporting events will be open TO YOU! #Paris2024 revolutionizes Games' history.Become an actor 🏃‍ instead of a spectator 📺 !Participate in the Marathon, or other races, just like the Olympians, same day, same conditions.#YourTurnToPlaypic.twitter.com/xEVLw8Kv6I

"By giving everyone a chance to be part of the Games, to experience the biggest sporting event on the planet from the inside, Paris 2024 is leading the way towards new horizons.

"The idea of participating in a mass event on the same day and in the same conditions as the marathon of the Games, to be able to compete against the greatest champions thanks to virtual or connected sports, is a new turning point in the history of Olympism."

A series of "virtual and connected" events have also been proposed by organisers, which could include a form of e-sport, and will run alongside the sporting competitions to allow fans the chance to "immerse themselves in the Olympic experience".

World Sailing has submitted a proposal for offshore racing, which Paris 2024 claim will provide an "engagement opportunity alongside the Games".

This would see fans virtually compete against the Olympic athletes in real time and on the same course if approved by the International Olympic Committee.

Organisers claimed other unnamed International Federations are exploring the possibility of holding virtual and connected events alongside the main sports programme.

Esports was not considered for Paris 2024 but eSailing featuring as part of the Games could mark the first step towards its eventual inclusion on the programme.

About the author

Since joining insidethegames.biz, in 2015 Liam Morgan has covered a variety of international multi-sport events and conferences, including the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympics. He also reported from the 2017 IOC Session in Lima and three editions of the FIFA Congress. He graduated from Southampton Solent University in 2014 with a BA First Class honours degree in Sports Journalism.

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Fact of the day

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.

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